Sandal

ABSTRACT

A sandal comprised of a sole portion, including an insole and an outsole adhesively fixed together, an upstanding thong which is adapted to lie between two toes of the wearer and an enlarged decorative top portion, carried by the top of the thong, which is sized to overlie a portion of the toes and to extend rearwardly at least a portion of the way along the instep of the foot, said thong includes a lower portion, extending through the insole, and an enlarged lower end which is captivated and held firmly in place between the bonded insole and outsole. Adjustable strap means are provided to engage around the ankle area of the wearer.

United States Patent 1 Silver SANDAL [76] Inventor: Samuel Silver, 90 Edgewater Dr.,

Coral Gables, Fla. 33133 [22] Filed: June 1, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 258,754

Primary Examiner-Patrick D. Lawson Attorney-Meyer A. Baskin 57] ABSTRACT A sandal comprised of a sole portion, including an insole and an outsole adhesively fixed together, an upstanding thong which is adapted to lie between two toes of the wearer and an enlarged decorative top portion, carried by the top of the thong, which is sized to overlie a portion of the toes and to extend rearwardly at least a portion of the way along the instep of the foot, said thong includes a lower portion, extending through the insole, and an enlarged lower end which is captivated and held firmly in place between the bonded insole and outsole. Adjustable strap means are provided to engage around the ankle area of the wearer,

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures SANDAL STATE OF THE PRIOR ART US. Pat. No. 2,928,191 to J. Meltzer discloses a shoe provided with a toe thong which is comprised generally of a coil-spring enclosed in a woven fabric tubing. The hooked upper end of the spring is engagedwith an attachment loop formed on the underside of an ornamental disc-like button which overlies at least a portion of two toes of the wearer.

At its lower end, the thong assembly is passed downwardly through an opening formed in the insold, and on the underside of the insole a rigid pin or the like is caused to penetrate through the fabric tube and to engage with the hook or loop at the lower end of the spring.

When the outsole is adhesively secured to the bottom surface of the insole, it conceals the anchoring means and flattens out the loose lower end of the fabric tube.

US. Pat. No. 2,5 l-l,l01 to M. W. Clarke disclosed a rather complex chiropodial device which includes a spool-like toe thong formed of a soft material such as rubber. The toe thong is supported on an upstanding finger which carries a short tapped sleeve or nut at its lower end, within a transverse slot in the outsole. An elongated bolt extends from the outer edge of the outsole into threaded engagement with the nut for the purpose of transversely adjusting the position of the toe thong. v

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION- The present invention pertains to sandals of the type providing toe thongs which are positioned tofit in between two toes of the wearer. An enlarged decorative member is carried by the top of each thong to overlie at least a portion of the toe and instep areas of the wearer. This decorative member may take any of a wide range of sizes and/or shapes which may be keyed to the design of other portions of the sandal to provide a general design theme thereto.

The decorative member may be made of various suitable materials such as plastic, leather, wood or metal. Particularly the shape of the decorative member may be keyed to the shape of the sole. For example, as illustrated herein, the decorative member has a curved shape, complementing the shape of the sole. The decorative member could also have an angular shape complementing an angularshape of the sole, or an elongated snake-like shape complementing an elongated shape of the sole.

The sole portion of the sandal includes an insole and outsole adhesively fixed thereto. A through aperture is provided in the insole for passage therethrough of the lower end of the toe thong and an enlarged foot portion of the toe thong is sandwiched inbetween the insole and the outsole and is securely held in place therebetween by the adhesive.

A flexible preferred form of the invention is provided by forming the toe thongfrom a relatively thin wire material which is preferably of the spring steel variety. The exposed portion of the toe thong, that is the portion which passes inbetween the toes, is covered by a strip of material which is wrapped therearound and adhesively secured thereto.

A more rigid form of the invention is formed from a rigid post which may also be covered-in the between the toes area" by a suitable material.

Two straps are provided at the rear end of the sandal which are fixed at their respective lower ends, in between the insole and outsole, at opposed sides of the heel portion of the sandal. Each strap extends upwardly around the ankle portion of the wearer into an overlapping relationship at the top portion thereof. The distal end of the inner strap is provided with a hook which is selectively engageable in any one of a plurality of spaced-apart holes provided in the inner side of the outer strap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sandal constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the thong assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the assembled toe thong device, insole and outsole;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of the toe thong assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a further modification of the toe thong assembly of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top-plan view of the anklestraps of the sandal as seen in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS With reference to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the various views and with particular reference to FIG. 1, the sandal 10 is comprised generally of a sole assembly 12, including an insole l4 and an outsole 16 having a heel 18 attached thereto, a toe thong '20 including an enlarged decorative attachment 22 at its upper end and an ankle-strap assembly 24 fixed to the heel portion thereof.

Referring to FIG. 2, the toe thong and enlarged attachment 20 and 22 of a preferred form of the present invention includes a wire member 25, preferably formed of spring steel, which includes a generally upstanding shank portion 26, a rearwardly extending upper portion 28, a portion 30 bent forwardly from portion 28 and a loop portion 32 preferably formed rearwardly as an extension of the lower end of the shank 26.

The upper wire portions 28 and 30 are generally coplanar and comprise a carrier means for the decorative attachment 22. As seen in FIG. 2, a piece of a suitable stiffening material 34 is preferably fixedatop the portions 28 and 30 as by the stitches 36 and a similarly sized and shaped piece of stiffening material 38 is fixed to the bottom surface of the upper piece 34 by a suitable adhesive 40 to sandwich the wire portions 28 and 30 therebetween. The lower piece of stiffening material 38 is slit as at 42 to receive the upper end of the shank portion 26 therein to permit matching engagement of the pieces 34 and 38.

The enlarged decorative attachment 22 is formed in a predetermined'size and shape from two sheets, an upper and a lower sheet, 44 and 46 of a suitable material such as leather or platic. The upper and lower sheets 44 and 46 are preferably, peripherally sewed together as at 48, except around their front edges, to form an inner pocket 50 to receive the adhesively secured top and bottom pieces of stiffening material 34 and 38. After the pieces 34 and 38 have been inserted in the pocket 50, the front edge portions of the sheets 44 and 46 are peripherally sewed together as illustrated at 52 in FIG. 3. The lower sheet 46 is slit at 54 to provide clearance for the upper end of the shank 26.

The insole 14 is provided with a suitably located through aperture 56 (FIG. 3) to receive the leading tip 58 of the wire loop 32. The tip 58 is deflected downwardly to permit passage through the aperture 56 after which the thong and decorative attachment assembly 20 and 22 is rotated through approximately 360 degrees to position the entire loop 32 beneath the insole 14. After the loop 32 is so positioned the outside 16 is secured by a suitable adhesive 60 to the underside of the insole 14. The wire shank 26 is covered by a strip of material 62 which is secured thereto by an adhesive 64. This strip of material preferably matches the material used to form the decorative attachment 22.

FIG. 4 illustrated a modified form of the invention in which the shank 26a is formed from two lengths of wire 70 and 72 extending downwardly from the wire portions 28a and 300. A pair of oppositely, outwardly extending fingers 74 and 76 are provided from the lower ends of the respective shank portions 70 and 72. In assembly, one of the fingers 74 or 76 is first inserted through the aperture 56 after which the other shank portion 70 or 72 carrying the other finger 74 or 76 is deflected to permit passage of the associated finger through the aperture 56. The decorative attachment assembly 22 and the assembly of the outsole are the same as in the first form and need no further description.

FIG. illustrates another modification of the present invention which provides a rigid toe thong post 80 having a metal plate 82 fixed to its upper end for reception in the pocket 50 of the decorative attachment 22b. The post 80 is screw-threaded as at 84 at its lower end for threaded engagement with a nut 86. The outsole 16b is provided with a suitable recess 88 to receive the threaded boss 90 of the nut 86 and an annular flange 92 extends outwardly around the upper end of the boss 90. A plurality of downwardly struck pointed projections are provided around the periphery of the flange 92 to become embedded in the outsole when the boss 90 is driven into the recess 88.

In assembly, the nut 86 is fixed in the outsole 16b as above described and the post 80 is passed through the aperture 56b in the insole 14b and threaded into the nut 86. The outsole 16b is secured to the underside of the insole 14b by the adhesive 60b to sandwich the nut 86 therebetween.

The ankle-strap assembly 24 is comprised of a pair of straps 100 and 102 having their lower ends fixed in between the insole and outsole l2 and 14 on opposed sides of the heel portion of the sandal 10. The respective straps 100 and 102 extend, first-upwardly and rearwardly in an opposed cross-over relationship around the back of the foot, just upwardly of the heel area, and secondlyforwardly in opposed directions into an overlapping relationship around the front just upwardly of the ankle area. One of the straps 100 has a hook 104 fixed to its upper distal end which is adapted to be selectively engaged in any one of a plurality of spaced apart apertures 106 (FIG. 1) provided in the inside of the strap 102. The upper distal end of the outer strap 102 is sewed to a decorative member 108 which may be keyed, in design, to the decorative attachment 22. A strap loop 110 (FIG. 6) is sewed to the inside of the decorative member 108 for sliding reception of the strap 100.

In use, the hook 104 is disengaged from a hole 106 before the sandal is removed or placed on a foot. The 5 strap 100 is slid outwardly through the loop 110 until the hook 104 is drawn up to the loop 110 whereupon the foot can be inserted or removed through the opening provided at the top of the straps 100 and 102. The strap loop 110 is preferably formed to permit sliding passage therethrough of the strap 100 without permitting easy passage therethrough of the hook 104. In this manner, the straps 100 and 102 are never separated for convenience.

When a foot is inserted through the expanded loop provided by the disengagement of the hook 104 from a hole 106 and is properly positioned in the sandal with the thong 20 inbetween two toes, the inner strap 100 is drawn snugly about the ankle area and the hook is engaged in a hole 106 which provides comfort to the wearer.

What is claimed is:

l. A sandal construction comprising:

A. a sole assembly including,

1. an insole having a through aperture positioned for passage therethrough of a toe thong, and

2. an outsole adhesively attached to the underside of said insole;

B. a flexible wire including,

1. a generally upstanding shank portion having a lower end portion extending through said aperture;

2. an upper (generallylaterally extending) portion, formed integral with the upper end of said shank portion as a generally rearwardly bent extension from the top of said shank portion and a forwardly bent extension from the rear end of said rearwardly bent extension in a spaced apart, coplanar relation thereto;

3. a lower generally laterally extending portion, formed integral with said lower end portion in a captivated condition in between said adhesively attached insole and outsole;

C. an ornamental extension fixed to said upper portion to overlie at least a portion of the toe area of a wearer.

2. A sandal construction as defined in claim 1 wherein said lower portion comprises an enlarged loop, formed integral with the lower end of said shank portion, and including a leading end portion which is flexed downwardly to penetrate'said through aperature for installation purposes, after which the toe thong assembly is rotated approximately 300 to 360 for final positioning prior to adhesively fastening said outsole to 55 said insole.

3. A sandal construction as defined in claim 1 including a strip ofa suitable material adhesively fixed around said shank portion.

4. A sandal construction as defined in claim 2 wherein said ornamental extension is formed from upper and lower sheets of a suitable material, such as leather or plastic, peripherally sewed together to envelop said upper portion.

5. A sandal construction as defined in claim 4 including upper and lower sheets ofa suitable stiffening material which are adhesively fastened together to envelop said upper portion prior to application of said ornamental extension.

8. A sandal construction as defined in claim 1 including strap means, having overlapping upper end portions fixed to the heel portion of the sandal, adapted to engage about the lower leg portion of the wearer, generally in the ankle area, and attachment means comprising an outwardly opening hook means fixed to the distal end of the inner of said overlapping upper end portions and a plurality of spaced-apart holes in the inside of the outer of said overlapping upper end portions which are selectively engageable by said hook means. 

1. A sandal construction comprising: A. a sole assembly including,
 1. an insole having a through aperture positioned for passage therethrough of a toe thong, and
 2. an outsole adhesively attached to the underside of said insole; B. a flexible wire including,
 1. a generally upstanding shank portion having a lower end portion extending through said aperture;
 2. an upper (generally laterally extending) portion, formed integral with the upper end of said shank portion as a generally rearwardly bent extension from the top of said shank portion and a forwardly bent extension from the rear end of said rearwardly bent extension in a spaced apart, co-planar relation thereto;
 3. a lower generally laterally extending portion, formed integral with said lower end portion in a captivated condition in between said adhesively attached insole and outsole; C. an ornamental extension fixed to said upper portion to overlie at least a portion of the toe area of a wearer.
 2. an outsole adhesively attached to the underside of said insole; B. a flexible wire including,
 2. an upper (generally laterally extending) portion, formed integral with the upper end of said shank portion as a generally rearwardly bent extension from the top of said shank portion and a forwardly bent extension from the rear end of said rearwardly bent extension in a spaced apart, co-planar relation thereto;
 2. A sandal construction as defined in claim 1 wherein said lower portion comprises an enlarged loop, formed integral with the lower end of said shank portion, and including a leading end portion which is flexed downwardly to penetrate said through aperature for installation purposes, after which the toe thong assembly is rotated approximately 300 to 360* for final positioning prior to adhesively fastening said outsole to said insole.
 3. A sandal construction as defined in claim 1 including a strip of a suitable material adhesively fixed around said shank portion.
 3. a lower generally laterally extending portion, formed integral with said lower end portion in a captivated condition in between said adhesively attached insole and outsole; C. an ornamental extension fixed to said upper portion to overlie at least a portion of the toe area of a wearer.
 4. A sandal construction as defined in claim 2 wherein said ornamental extension is formed from upper and lower sheets of a suitable material, such as leather or plastic, peripherally sewed together to envelop said upper portion.
 5. A sandal construction as defined in claim 4 including upper and lower sheets of a suitable stiffening material which are adhesively fastened together to envelop said upper portion prior to application of said ornamental extension.
 6. A sandal construction as defined in claim 1 wherein said shank portion is formed from double strands of wire and said upper portion intregally connects said double strands by means of a generally rearwardly extending elongated loop.
 7. A sandal construction as defined in claim 6 including a pair of oppositely extending horizontal extensions, comprising said laterally extending portion, formed integral with the respective lower ends of said double strands, said extension being adapted to be inserted through said through aperature prior to adhesively fastening said outole to said insole.
 8. A sandal construction as defined in claim 1 including strap means, having overlapping upper end portions fixed to the heel portion of the sandal, adapted to engage about the lower leg portion of the wearer, generally in the ankle area, and attachment means comprising an outwardly opening hook means fixed to the distal end of the inner of said overlapping upper end portions and a plurality of spaced-apart holes in the inside of the outer of said overlapping upper end portions which are selectively engageable by said hook means. 